CYCLING EVENT WAS GOOD RIDE WITH SMALL TURNOUT
RACE WAS A GOOD RIDE WITH A SMALL TURNOUT

Anyone who has ever seen a cross-country cycling race knows that, unless you’re seated in a helicopter a few hundred feet above the course, there isn’t much to see.

For those less fortunate on the ground, it’s more like “here they come, here they are, and there they go.” I suspect that’s why cycling events don’t charge admission for spectators.

But the lack of action didn’t stop maybe a thousand spectators from showing up at Town Square Park in Murrieta on Monday morning to show their support and share their curiosity with some of the best professional riders in the world.

They cheered and rang cowbells as about 130 riders dressed in bright colors and with names like Lieuwe, Gianni, Guillaume and Jens took off on the second leg of the Amgen Tour of California. They would ride for 126.1 miles that day, through scorching heat and over mountainous roads. One rider said before the race that he planned on losing 5 to 10 pounds under those conditions.

The eight-stage race, billed as America’s version of the Tour de France, will end Sunday in Santa Rosa.

Although the park seemed a great place to stage the event and the NBC Sports cable channel probably talked up the town, it’s doubtful that the Tour of California was a great economic boom to Murrieta. You can pin that on the crowd.

“It was small,” said Yorba Linda resident Dave Hanson, who owns Jax Bicycles in Murrieta. “I didn’t hear anyone complain about how hard it was to find a parking space. To me, a good-sized crowd at one of these events has the same feel as walking away from a crowded football stadium, and this didn’t have that.”

Hansen should know. His company includes eight shops, and he’s a frequent vendor at cycling events. About two dozen vendors showed up in Murrieta on Monday morning and at a small, pre-race festival at the park on Sunday afternoon.

That, too, was sparsely attended, Hanson said, probably for two reasons. First, it was Mother’s Day. And second, it was held in temperatures that topped 100 degrees. It was a bad combination for vendors who shelled out $100 each to work the event.

“The temperature was the biggest problem,” said one food vendor, whose two days at the Tour of California were not very profitable. “This was a first-time thing, and Murrieta is a good cycling town. Maybe when word travels, it will be better attended.”

Spectators who showed up Monday morning seemed to be receptive to it all. John Vandenburgh was joined by his two children, Jazi, 7, and Tallo, 6. He didn’t seem swayed by the athletes being virtual unknowns to us Americans in a competitive sport that has been tainted in recent years by performance-enhancing drugs.

“I think it’s good to introduce the kids to a sport that they could do someday,” Vandenburgh said. “It’s not often that you get the best in the world coming to Murrieta for anything. It’s good for the city and it’s good for cycling.”

Before the race started, spectators milled around the racing team buses and RVs like they were attending a car show. Most of the bikes were lined up neatly while mechanics and a few riders answered questions.

“This is a small turnout, but a lot depends on the city you’re in,” said Nate Brown of Memphis, Tenn., who rides for the Bontrager cycling team. “The crowd in Santa Rosa will be much bigger because it’s a huge cycling community.”

Of course, spectators were strung along the Murrieta course, and it’s hard to gauge just how large the local crowds were. For that, you’d need a seat in a helicopter.

But based on the location and the setup, it was easy to come away thinking this was a first-time event that showed promise.

“This park is big with lots of room, so it’s hard to tell just how many people are here,” Hanson said. “Murrieta did a great job, and it’s a good cycling town.”

About an hour after the start of Stage 2, most spectators, event organizers and vendors had packed up and gone.

Here they come, here they are, and there they go — it’s just the nature of cycling.

If you have an interesting topic for a column or know someone with a good story to tell, email Jim Rothgeb at jim.rothgeb@californian.com